Church of St Francis of Assisi, Goa

Church of St Francis of Assisi, Goa tickets: which one to buy

This church and convent form part of the Old Goa group, a few steps from the cathedral, and entry to the church is free. The convent behind it houses the archaeological museum, which is ticketed and holds Portuguese portraits, Hindu sculpture and hero stones collected from across the territory; it is the best single explanation of Goa's layered history and is usually empty. Guided walks of Old Goa cover the whole group in about two hours and guides wait near the cathedral.

Day tours from the beaches include the site in a longer sightseeing loop. If you are travelling by scooter, which most independent visitors here do, Old Goa is an easy ride from Panaji along the river. Modest dress is expected and the churches close in the early afternoon for a break. Scooter hire in Panaji is inexpensive and the ride out along the river takes about twenty-five minutes.

Visiting Church of St Francis of Assisi, Goa: what to see

Eight Franciscan friars landed in Goa in 1517 and built a church on the site of the principal mosque of the city they had taken. That first building was replaced by the present one in 1661, but its Manueline doorway, carved in the Portuguese late Gothic style with rope and knot motifs, was kept and built into the new front, which is why the entrance looks older than the rest. The facade rises in three tiers with octagonal towers at the corners and a statue of Michael in the central niche. Inside, the nave is barrel-vaulted and the walls of the side chapels carry painted floral panels; along the nave, panels depict scenes from the life of Francis.

The main altarpiece is heavily gilded, with a large figure of the saint beside the crucified Christ. The floor is paved with carved gravestones of Portuguese families, many with coats of arms still legible. A carved pulpit and a choir gallery of jackwood survive from the seventeenth-century fitting. A separate bell tower stands to one side, square and plain, and its bells were recast in the nineteenth century after a crack. The lawns around the church were cleared in the 1950s, when the remains of the abandoned city were tidied for visitors, and they now cover the foundations of the streets that once ran between these buildings.

Church of St Francis of Assisi, Goa opening hours and the best time to go

November to March is the season, with clear weather and comfortable temperatures. The monsoon months are dramatic and wet, and the laterite walls turn dark green. Mornings are best for the interiors, which have limited lighting. The feast of Francis Xavier in early December and the exposition of his relics, held roughly once a decade, transform Old Goa into a pilgrimage site with crowds and temporary stalls covering the lawns.

Christmas and Easter fill the churches with local congregations. There is almost no shade between the buildings and the middle of the day is hot. Allow twenty-five minutes for the church and an hour for the museum behind it, which most visitors skip and should not. The museum keeps different hours from the church and closes on Fridays.